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Breed Notes - 23 Jun 2015

I very much enjoyed my visit to Scotland this last weekend to judge a really nice entry at the Border Union show. You will find the results elsewhere , but I was very pleased, not just with the winners but all those there. Everyone was very friendly, the dogs all showed confidence without domination, like good Hovawarts should, and it was sad that I couldn’t give first prizes to everyone. My ring stewards were exceptional, and, a subject close to my heart, lunch was excellent. Even the Raingods only gave us the briefest reminder of their residency north of the border, and my only complaint is that it incurred a round trip of some 600 miles, and about 13 hours of driving. Sadly, with John’s work commitments, it was very much a case of “there and back”, although we did stop overnight at Hawick before the show.

As is usual with non-cc breeds, the judging appointment was accepted without expenses being on offer, and I certainly don’t begrudge the £400 or so the weekend cost us, but this policy does make the choice of judge for breeds like ours more limited than perhaps it ought to be. If judges are to be chosen based on their capability, not to judge but to afford to judge, surely that has to be against the best interests of what are hopefully developing breeds. It has been demonstrated over time that show success has a great influence on the direction a breed takes, and it can’t be right that only the well-off should have that power. Perhaps the KC, with their new-found wealth from the sale of property, might give this matter some consideration.

Our rescue dog, Rio, has now been in his new home for a week and a half, and all the signs so far are promising. A phone call at the weekend was singing his praises, although it is still very early days, we are cautiously optimistic for a happy outcome for him.